Conference Presentation, Keynote
The Words (and Images) That Work in 2014
- Americans are increasingly dissatisfied due to delayed expectations for improved intergenerational economic prospects, causing a shift in public inquiry from personal to national concerns regarding the nation's future trajectory.
- Business sentiment is at a historic low driven by unresolved income inequality, necessitating a strategic pivot in corporate language from "profit" to "performance" and from "social responsibility" to "ethical business practice" to resonate with public skepticism.
- To rebuild trust, companies with 1,000+ employees should establish chief ethics officer roles, while organizations must emphasize "continuous improvement" and "believing in better" rather than claiming past success, and frame law enforcement support as halting rising crime rates.
- Political and educational discourse requires a shift from transparency to accountability, replacing terms like "education reform" and "stinking schools" with "education excellence," "effective education," and positive visions of success to avoid perceptions of value neutrality.
- Failure to address income inequality, local school funding disparities, or provide accountability across the political, business, and education sectors risks perpetuating public cynicism, whereas maintaining a three-to-one margin of public faith over politicians depends on demonstrating tangible outcomes rather than processes.